Daily poll: Should Rutgers University be held liable in the death of Tyler Clementi?

The parents of Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers University freshman who killed himself after other students used a webcam to spy on his tryst in his dorm room, have filed a notice of intent to sue the college.

Joseph and Jane Clementi -- parents of Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi, who killed himself after two other students used a webcam to spy on his tryst in his dorm room -- intend to sue college, claiming in court papers that "it appears Rutgers University failed to act, failed to put in place and/or failed to implement, and enforce policies and practices that would have prevented or deterred such acts, and that Rutgers failed to act timely and appropriately," the Star-Ledger reported yesterday.

The notice of intent, first reported by The Home News Tribune of East Brunswick, did not list how much in damages the Ridgewood family would seek.

Rutgers spokesman E.J. Miranda responded to the news with a statement that the school is not to blame.

"We at the university share the family's sense of loss of their son, who was a member of our community. We also recognize that a grieving family may question whether someone or some institution could somehow have responsibility for their son's death," Miranda said. "While the university understands this reaction, the university is not responsible for Tyler Clementi's suicide."